WEBVTT ELK GROVE WITH REACTION FRJJ'S MOTHER.>> THOUSANDS OF MOMS -- JJ'S MOTHER.NATALIE: DR. NICOLE CLAVO HASBEEN TIRELESSLY ADVOCATINGAGAINST GANG VIOLENCE SINCE HER16-YEAR-OLD SON J.J. CLAVO WASGUNNED DOWN RANDOMLY BY A GANGMEMBER IN NORTH SACRAMENTO IN2015.THE REALITY THAT I'M NEVERGOING TO HAVE HIM BACK SETTLESIN MORE AND MORE SO IT'S VERYPAINFUL.IT'S VERY DEVASTATING NATALIE: LAST YEAR, SACRAMENTOPOLICE JOINED FORCES WITH THEDEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE CHPAND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENTAGENCIES TO FORM OPERATIONCHALLENGER, TARGETING HIGHRANKING GANG MEMBERS IN TWORIVAL GANG SETS WHICH HAVEPREDOMINATELY FEUDED IN THENORTH AREA OF THE CITY.>> MY MISSION IS TO SAVE YOULIVES.NOT ONLY YOUNG LIVES, BUTTHERE'S MOTHERS.THERE'S FATHERS.CHILDREN," A AUNTS THAT AREBEING MURDERED ON A DAILY BASINATALIE: OPERATION CHALLENGERCONCLUDED LAST WEEK, WITH 20SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN 4 STATESFOR CHARGES THAT INCLUDE,ATTEMPTED MURDER, HUMANTRAFFICKING, ROBBERY ANARCOTICS.AUTHORITIES ALSO SEIZED 11FIREARMS. >> THE ONE THING YOU CAN'TREALLY MEASURE, YOU CAN MEASURGUNS AND THE CALLS RECEIVED.BUT YOU CANNOT MEASU THENUMBER OF CRIMES IT PROBABLYPREVENTED.I'M EXCITED.BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S JUSTTHE BEGINNING.THERE'S SO MUCH MORE WORK TO BEDONE.NATALIE THOUGH DR. CLAVO: CONTINUES TO GRIEVE THE LOSSOF HER SON SHE HOPES OPERATIONCHALLENGER IS PART OF JJ'SLEGACY MAKING HIS COMMUNITSAFER FOR OTHER TEENS.

Police: 20 gang leaders arrested in Sacramento sweep

Arrests come after teen's 2015 shooting death

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Updated: 11:43 PM PST Jan 24, 2017

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) —

Sacramento police arrested 20 gang members and are seeking three more as part of an investigation that began after the shooting death of a high school football player in 2015.

The men they arrested are leaders of a northern Sacramento gang known as the Strawberry Manor Gangster Bloods, police said Tuesday. It has a longstanding violent feud with a rival gang, Del Paso Heights Bloods.

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Since 2014, police noticed an uptick in violent crimes between the two gangs in Del Pase Heights. "Operation Challenger," which took place on Jan. 19, targeted the Strawberry Manor Gangster Bloods, police said. While police believe the gang has close to 100 members, the 20 people arrested are believed to be high-ranking members of the gang.

Courtesy of the Sacramento Police Department

“The one thing you can't really measure, you can measure the number of crimes that are reported, the number of guns that you receive, but you can't measure the number of crimes it probably prevented," Sacramento Police Chief Brian Louie said. "So, we see this operation as a success."

Sacramento Police Capt. Marc Coopwood said a member of the gang was charged last year in the shooting death of Jaulon "J.J." Clavo. Investigators believe more gang members were involved but Coopwood declined to identify them.

“As time gets further, the reality that I'm never going to have him back settles in more and more," JJ’s mother Dr. Nicole Clavo said. "So, it's very painful -- it's very devastating.”

Clavo was not the intended target of the shooting and did not have any gang ties, police said.

“If his life is saving lives, then I couldn't be happier, and sad at the same time, but I couldn't be happier," Clavo said. "If one life saves thousands of lives, then let’s do it."

In additional to the arrests, police seized 11 firearms.

The operation was a joint effort between police, the Department of Justice, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, ATF and the California Highway Patrol.